Tag: cornish pasties

Doing some bits of research now my epic adventure is within more or less touching distance and its based mainly around people who have cycled from one end of Britain to the other so here’s a “Did You Know” guide to the insanity of Lands End to John o Groats adapted a little to suit my bus and train trip ..

Cornish pasties will keep you going .. hope there are plenty of Gregg’s or proper pasty shops along the way in between waiting for buses and trains.

Journey planning is essential .. I started planning this trip last September when my brain went for a walk, 4 buses, 12 trains, no delays( I hope), 4 hotels / BnBs. I am still fine tuning to this day and if I can find better journeys between A and B or cheaper tickets or hotels I will change plans but at this moment today (April 9th) I think I have the best options.

Cider is the drink of champions .. I don’t drink cider so a pint of lager and a meal at the end of the day will have to do.

Looking at the map makes you realise how far you’ve still got to go .. Day by Day I know its 976 miles from Lands End to John o Groats by my chosen route, longest day is Day 1 501 miles to Carlisle and about 13 hours give or take a minute or 2 of travelling based on the perfect journey, overall distance including travelling down to Penzance and back from John o Groats on Day 3 / 4 is about 1900 miles and 40 hours of travelling but worth it for my 3 main causes Help Harry Help Others, Prostate Cancer UK and Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide.

The views are worth admiring .. and boy will they be worth it, having never been past Taunton and no further north than Gretna Green I am looking forward to some great scenery and getting some great pictures and memories especially The FarNorth Line from Inverness to Wick on Day 2.

There will be temptation, you must resist it .. It’s definitely going to be a mentally challenging adventure and probably physical too because I have to stay awake on the trains and buses because if I don’t it defeats the object of the charity challenge and I will feel I have completed the journey falsely.

Even this far, the map still isn’t your friend .. so 501 miles from Lands End to Carlisle and nearly 13 hours travel on 2 buses and 3 trains then 2 days of 476 miles in total approximately and 21 hours of travelling on 6 trains and 2 buses from Carlisle to John o Groats and back to Inverness before homeward bound on Day 4 back to Wolverhampton from Inverness on 3 trains £236 lighter but with a sense of relief and satisfaction but never to be done again and maps wont be my best friend for a long time.

Love a big Scottish breakfast .. having already experienced one or two in Gretna when I got married nearly 2 years ago I know how good they are including the haggis but deffo no black pudding (and that’s from a Yorkshireman)

There’s a unique satisfaction in knowing you’ve just gone from one end of the UK to the other .. all the planning, the worries, the raising funds for my 3 charities, the blogging and vlogging, the pictures, the scenery .. everything will be worth it.